France-Spain: Rabiot-Yamal, the game of soundbites and the time for reunion

Two years ago, at Euro 2024, Lamine Yamal felt provoked by a comment from Adrien Rabiot the day before the France-Spain semi-final. This time, it's the Barcelona striker who has started the hostilities with Les Bleus. Their rematch on Tuesday (9 pm) in the World Cup semi-final will only be more heated.

It was a short phrase that stirred up the pre-match atmosphere before the Euro 2024 semi-final between France and Spain (1-2). In a press conference the day before the clash, Adrien Rabiot took a subtle dig at the "young" Lamine Yamal, who wasn't yet 17 at the time of the match. "He's a quality player, but to reach a Euro final, he'll have to do much more than he has so far," the French midfielder remarked. Yamal heard this comment and later admitted, in an interview with Cadena Cope, that he had used it as motivation.

Yamal had used Rabiot's little barb.

"When the match started, I looked at the stands and saw a gesture from one of my friends telling me to remember what he had said. I also received messages reminding me of what had been said. It motivated me to run without stopping." We know what happened next. That night, Yamal scored one of his finest goals in a Spanish shirt, a long-range strike into the top corner, under the watchful eye of a somewhat distant Rabiot, who was nonetheless present in the goal photo. In the Spanish media, this image of Yamal's goal was interpreted as a snub and a response from the young Barcelona player to Rabiot. "Habla, habla" (Speak, go on, speak), the Spanish striker is even said to have murmured during his celebration.

Blocking Spain's right flank is one of the key objectives of the match.

Even though the two players faced each other in the Nations League semi-final (again won by Spain, 5-4) a year later, Tuesday's match in Dallas will be a chance for another encounter. Yamal is gaining momentum but is struggling to make a decisive impact at this World Cup. Rabiot is having a great World Cup, covering a lot of ground, displaying technical precision, and having the ability to link the defense and the attacking quartet. On Tuesday, Rabiot will also be tasked with helping Lucas Digne close down the right flank of the Spanish attack, where Yamal plays. Yamal also likes to drift inside to create danger through the middle or try his luck from distance with his left foot. Yamal will be one of the threats to watch very closely.

Konaté responds to Yamal

"He's a good player, he's shown he can be dangerous, but we're very good defensively and we'll get the job done," replied Maxence Lacroix, when asked about Yamal. The Spanish number 19, more in the media spotlight than he was two years ago during the Euros, will also have to handle the pressure, since this time he himself kicked off the match by announcing, after the qualification against Belgium, that if there's one team Les Bleus should fear, it's Spain, because La Roja beat France in their last two encounters.

Ibrahima Konaté chose to smile: "We don't listen. We mustn't be afraid of anyone, we must remain humble and not fall into that trap. He can say what he wants." This little comment from the new Real Madrid defender regarding the young Barça star was repeated endlessly in the Spanish media, often divided between pro-Real and pro-Barça. This time, and perhaps unintentionally, it was Yamal who started the hostilities.